Letting his forehead rest on the cool shower tiles, Ichigo fought to keep his body from trembling. He'd been shaking like a leaf the entire ride home and Shuhei had obviously been concerned but any and all questions he'd asked had been met with silence. In fact, if he were being honest, Ichigo hadn't even heard a word the model had said to him, he'd been far too wrapped up in how own thoughts to acknowledge the squirrel they'd almost hit let alone answer questions. He was just too fucked up right now ...

Royally fucked up on so many levels, it would probably be impossible to name them all or even begin to try to deal with any of it. The only thing that really stuck out in his racing thoughts was 'they'd found them'. They'd found his family. After seven years, they'd finally located the bodies – or, if we were going to be morbidly technical, the skeletons.

He just didn't get it, didn't understand. It was the main thing messing up his mind right now, the only thing that he couldn't comprehend and he wanted desperately to figure out what it was suppose to mean. Maybe -

A knock at the door startled him, completely derailing his thoughts and, with a sigh, he croaked out a "Yeah?"

Through the sound of running water, the water that was so hot it was making his skin sting and the entire bathroom foggy like a sauna, he heard the door creak open. A small gust of cool air floated into the bathroom then the door clicked shut again and Shuhei's calm voice floated through the steam, sounding like salvation and damnation all at the same time. "You ok, Ichigo?"

A breathless gasp left the carrot tops throat and he found himself sliding down onto the bottom of the tub, hands grasping uselessly at the slick tiles. "Not really ... I'm not sure what to do – you know?"

"Sorry Ichigo, but I can't really help you out because I don't know what's wrong." A pause that was only occupied by the sound of the water and then he spoke again, more gently this time. "Wanna' tell me what happened?"

Ichigo shook his head, knowing that Shuhei couldn't see it, but even so, even as he turned his head from side to side he found his lips moving and the truth spilling forth. "They found my dad and my sister's bodies. Back home, where I came from, they found them. In the forest ..." A dry sob escaped him and he could feel his body beginning to quiver again.

Suddenly the shower curtain was drawn back and the carrot top couldn't stop himself from jumping slightly – his nerves being just too frayed at this point. Slowly, he turned his head up and found Shuhei looking down at him, an expression of apology on his lovely face and then, much to his surprise, he slid into the tub with him, clothes and all! Ichigo's brows furrowed in confusion and he'd just opened his mouth to ask what the hell he was doing when Shuhei's arms found their way around his middle, pulling him into a tight embrace.

He didn't even seem to care that he was getting all wet and his hair was now flat against his skull rather then spiked and --

Releasing a shaky breath, Ichigo leaned into the others body, cheek finding a muscled shoulder.

(XxXxX)

Renji was trying really hard not get mad. Really, really hard.

It wasn't enough that Ichigo had flipped out in the middle of his own performance their first run in as if Renji were some sort of crazy stalker, but then to have his friend punch him like he was the bad guy! Well, that was just asking for a fight. Apparently, Mr. Kurosaki hadn't gotten his ass kicked enough in school ...

Ok, so maybe Renji was pouting like a five year old, but that didn't change the fact that Ichigo was pissing him off. The least he could have done was say 'Hey, thanks for telling me about that! I'll just pack my shit and go back home, now that I know. Your a great friend Renji.'. But no! He flips out and gets him escorted off the premises by bouncers and then some guy with a '69' tattooed on his cheek comes out of nowhere and knocks him on his ass, telling him to 'leave Ichigo the hell alone'! What is up with that!? Did Ichigo just not care?

No, that couldn't have been it. He'd been so messed up when they'd gone missing and then he'd dropped out of high school when the police said they were more then likely dead. Then he'd moved away ... So it couldn't be that he doesn't care. But what else could be wrong with him?

With a snort of agitation, Renji pressed the icepack to his swollen cheek, wincing at the sting, before snatching up his phone. He had to complain to someone – and who better to complain to then Momo? She was a girl so she wouldn't mind listening, right? Right.

(XxXxX)

Sometimes, Ichigo really had to wonder how Shuhei dealt with such an ... eccentric fanboy.

The last thing either of them had expected to see when they'd stumbled out of the bathroom, sopping wet and leaving a trail of water in their wake, had been Yumichika.

And yet, there he was, sitting on their couch as if he belonged there.

It was actually kind of creepy ...

"And just what were you two doing in the bathroom?" The rather effeminate man had inquired suspiciously, eying Ichigo's slick nude body and Shuhei's equally wet, but half dressed form. He didn't even try to hide the fact that his eyes fixed on the model's groin, looking rather intently at what was barely hidden behind soaked jeans. Ichigo couldn't help but feel a bit bashful and tried vainly to cover his goods with his hand.

"Oh, we were just taking an innocent shower together. Nothing to get your panties in a bunch over." Shuhei replied nonchalantly, but somehow, coming from him, that alibi didn't sound very innocent.

Yumichika cocked a nicely sculpted brow, not seeming very convinced. "With your pants on?"

"It was a spur of the moment kind of thing."

"I see ..."

Ichigo chose this time to speak up, trying his damnedest to push all his issues to the back burner, his mind concerned with only one thing at this moment. "How did you get in here, Yumi?"

A sparkling smile broke out over the other males face. "I used the key."

Shuhei and Ichigo exchanged glances. "What key? Neither of us gave you one ... right?"

"Nope! But I had one made!"

The carrot top could feel a headache coming on. Slowly, he pulled away from Shuhei, ignoring the fact he was completely naked as he made his way towards his room. "I'm going to lay down."

"Have a nice nap, Ichigo!" Yumichika called after him, completely unabashed by his breaking and entering of their apartment. Typical Yumi ...

(XxXxX)

Woot! Sorry that it's a short chapter but it's just suppose to be a filler type thing – you know, showing Ichigo's dealing with everything and also Renji's thoughts on it. The next chapter will not only be more exciting but it will also have the much awaited confrontation between Renji and Ichigo. Better be ready, I'm intending for it to be pretty rough emotionally.

And, congratulations to JadeRent! You were the first person to guess correctly that Shuhei's fanboy is Yumichika! Yay for you! (throws up confetti) Your present is – a request! If you have a pairing or a situation that you would just LOVE to see then tell me and I shall write it for you! And congratulations to everyone else who correctly guessed that it was Yumichika but sadly, you didn't review quickly enough. I'm sorry. Maybe their will be another chance in the future.

As always, please review and tell me what you think! I love you ALL!